By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- Village government will seek an evaluation of the two damaged gearboxes for its hydroelectric generators in the idled East Dam plant.

“I proposed to the board that, rather than wait any longer, we find a machine shop to evaluate the gearboxes,” said Village Administrator Everett Basford. “We have to do something.”

The gearboxes for the East Dam’s two turbines failed within a couple of months of each other and were supposed to have been re-conditioned last year, but both failed after re-installation.

Basford said he has an estimate of $2,500 per gearbox for an evaluation “indicating whether they can be repaired or are beyond repair,” Basford said.

Basford also has estimates for what it could cost to repair the gearboxes -- $65,000 each – or if they can’t be fixed, $85,000 to $90,000 each for new units.

“Those are high estimates,” Basford said. “It could be lower.”

If they need new units, there is a six-month lead time on orders, Basford said.

“And then there’s the next step: Can we repair them at that cost or replace them at that cost. Can they find the money for either, or will they not spend any more money?”

Right now the two gearboxes are sitting in storage in a village utility building, awaiting the village’s go-ahead to ship them off for an evaluation.

Removing and reinstalling the gearboxes is complicated and time consuming work, involving the draining of water from around each unit, setting scaffolding to enable unbolting the units from underneath, a lot of wrench-twisting, lifting with a crane, then sending them away for the overhaul, before reversing the process when they get back from the machinists.

All that had been done to get the gearboxes overhauled, reinstalled and removed again after they failed.

When then troubles for the East Dam plant began, the new West Dam turbines had just begun spinning and generating power after a long string of misfortunes, including the failure of the contracted manufacturer of the main parts to deliver the parts even after being paid up front and, after finding another fabricator, needing to have some parts remanufactured.

So the struggle continues to get the village’s four turbines at the east and west hydro stations all working, and the prospect for profitability, while possible in the long term, is not yet within Potsdam’s grasp.

The village’s options for the future are limited.

“The East Plant is paid for,” Basford noted, notwithstanding the gearbox expense. “On the West Plant, debt is owed” – about $3 million—“and the revenue coming in does not offset the cost and expenses.”

“Even if the East Plant supplies just village facilities it will more than offset the cost of buying the electricity,” Basford said.

But when they’re both running, the two plants won’t each use the same amount of water. To be functioning correctly, a balance has to be maintained, Basford explained.

“So we couldn’t sell or lease just one plant” as an alternative to keeping and maintaining both plants.